Wildscreen’s mission is to convene the best filmmakers and photographers with the most committed conservationists to create compelling stories about the natural world; that inspire the wider public to experience it, feel part of it and protect it.

Films and photographs have an amazing power – they are able to transcend boundaries of language and knowledge – and are one of the most important tools that conservation organisations have to communicate with the public. This is why we are creating our own films and photographs, working with the best filmmakers and photographers to tell the amazing stories of the world’s conservation organisations and the species they work with.

Pangolins

Our most recent film was made with award-winning production company Five Films and kindly narrated by stand-up comedian Sarah Millican. It tells the story of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, an amazing conservation organisation who rescue and rehabilitate wildlife. In the film, a group of pangolins that have been rescued from wildlife traffickers are cared for by the SVT staff, before being taken back to the forest to be released. Watch it here:

Pangolins are in trouble. They are the world’s most trafficked mammal, and are also an animal that most people haven’t heard of. If people don’t know about an issue, they are won’t care about it, so sharing this film and your knowledge of these amazing animals is one of the best things you can do to help save them.

Gannets

Earlier in the year we worked with wildlife photographer Sam Hobson to tell the story of the gannet nesting colony on Grassholm Island. Due to the position of the island and the currents surrounding it, the island has become extremely polluted with washed-up plastic. Gannets are frequently caught in the fishing line, packaging and other plastic items that they nest on, often leading to their demise. Due to gannets having nest fidelity, clearing the litter is not an option as this would disturb the breeding habits of the colony, which could affect the entire population.

Fortunately, the gannets have some superheroes in the shape of a team of RSPB volunteers who visit the island during the breeding season and attempt to cut as many individuals free as they can. Risking life and limb, the dedication of these volunteers is extremely admirable and the telling of their story generated conversation and raised awareness throughout the UK, hopefully leading to people thinking twice before disposing of their plastic litter irresponsibly.

We would love to help even more conservation organisations and endangered species get their stories heard by creating more films and photographs that reach as many people as possible. Please help us to do this by donating to Wildscreen this #GivingTuesday.

An American Airlines plane traveling from Costa Rica to Hong Kong was carrying 904 lbs. of dried hammerhead shark fins when it touched down in Miami. The ensuing outcry caused by the incident led to American Airlines announcing that it has ceased to ship shark fins. The species’ fins found on the plane were from the vulnerable smooth hammerheads and the endangered scalloped hammerheads.

Wildlife officials move forward to lift wolf protections

Mackenzie Valley wolf

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decided to move forward with the process of delisting the grey wolf from their endangered species list. The two options they are considering are: delisting the wolves statewide or partially, in eastern Oregon only.

New England amphibian migration endangered by late spring

Wood frog on mossy log

Every spring salamanders and frogs use vernal pools to mate and lay eggs. With the delayed spring, the time available for offspring to grow is reduced, which could affect their development. Among the affected species is the wood frog.

Bumblebees use nicotine to fight off parasites

Vestal cuckoo bee on flower

Parasite-infected bumblebees that consume nicotine-laced nectar delay the progress of the infection. However, the life expectancy of these bumblebees is not increased. On the other hand, healthy bees that consume nicotine appear to shorten their lifespans.

Five tons of frozen pangolin: Indonesian authorities make massive bust

Sunda pangolin

Officials in Medan, Sumatra confiscated 169 lbs. of pangolin scales and 96 live Sunda pangolins from a smuggler. The pangolins were destined for China, where their scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Jane Goodall wants SeaWorld shut down

Orca pair underwater

Jane Goodall believes the marine park giant should be shut down because the tanks for dolphins and whales create an “acoustical hell”. Goodall also noted that she hoped the awareness generated by documentaries like “Blackfish” led to greater understanding of how amazing these animals are.

Can assisted reproduction save the cheetah?

Juvenile cheetah

Today’s cheetah population suffers from low genetic diversity with most living cheetahs being between 5 percent and 10 percent genetically alike. Cheetah experts agree that assisted reproduction is only a stop gap with the real progress involving restoring habitat and preventing their hunting and killing.

Researchers applied the beneficial bacteria from the skin of several wild Panamanian frog species that were Bd-resistant to the skin of the golden arrow poison frog hoping it would confer resistance. While this procedure did not confer resistance, researchers learned that survivors of the fungus already possessed unique bacterial communities prior to the experiment.

World’s forest have fragmented into tiny patches

Munchique wood-wren

Fragmentation reduces biodiversity by up to 75%. Some fragmented regions house endemic species such as the Munchique wood-wren that exists in only a handful of peaks in the Colombian Andes, but these are now isolated from each other by pastures and roads.

Happy World Pangolin Day!

Once again the third Saturday in February marks World Pangolin Day, a celebration of the eight different species of pangolin, four of which are found in Asia, and four in Africa. Despite looking ready for battle, these intriguing mammals, also known as scaly anteaters, are only likely to wage war against colonies of ants and termites, their favourite food!